The Menhir of Outeiro (Portuguese: Menir do Outeiro), also known as the Penedo Comprido (long boulder), is a megalith located midway between the villages of Outeiro and Barrada near the municipality of Reguengos de Monsaraz, in the district of Évora, in the Alentejo region of Portugal. It is a few kilometers from the Portuguese-Spanish-border. The stone was discovered on its side in 1969 by Henrique Leonor Pina and José Pires Gonçalves and, on the initiative of Gonçalves, was raised again around 1970.[1] The menhir was classified as a Portuguese National Monument in 1971.[2][3][4]
Menir do Outeiro | |
 A view of the menhir | |
 | |
| Alternative name | Penedo comprido |
|---|---|
| Location | Outeiro, Évora, Alentejo, Portugal |
| Coordinates | 38°28′13″N 7°23′37″W / 38.470381°N 7.393626°W |
| Type | Phallic menhir |
| Height | 5.6 m (18 ft) |
| History | |
| Periods | Neolithic |
| Site notes | |
| Discovered | 1969 |
| Archaeologists | Henrique Leonor Pina; José Pires Gonçalves |
| Condition | Very good |
| Ownership | Portuguese Republic |
| Public access | Yes |
The granite monolith is 5.6 meters high with an average diameter of one meter, and weighs an estimated 8 tonnes. It is the second largest in Portugal. The top has a hollow of 30 cm in diameter, which is believed to represent a urethra, thus giving rise to the understanding that the megalith symbolizes a phallus. It is considered one of the best examples of a phallic menhir in the Iberian Peninsula. Based on its similarity to other megalithic finds in the Évora district, the menhir is believed to date from the late Neolithic or Chalcolithic.[2][3]
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ Cardoso, Joao (2015). "Nos 50 Anos da identificação do Megalitismo não funerário Alentejano. O povoamento da região de Reguengos de Monsaraz nos IV e III milénios a.C." Al-Madan. II (19 Tome 2). Retrieved 18 October 2019.
- ^ a b "Menhir de Outeiro - Standing Stone (Menhir) in Portugal in Évora". The Megalithic Portal. Retrieved 18 October 2019.
- ^ a b "Menir do Outeiro". Patrimonio Cultural. Retrieved 18 October 2019.
- ^ "Menir do Outeiro". Município de Reguengos de MonsarazT. Retrieved 18 October 2019.
External links
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Media related to Menir do Outeiro at Wikimedia Commons
